If you have the time and space to store the car and bits while you do it, if it were me i'd strip off the manifolds etc. and take the head off myself to see what the problem is and what condition the block and head faces are in. Then you can make an informed decision as to what you need to proceed & the only thing you've spent is time.Do you have metal or plastic dowels? (need metal as plassy ones can contribute to HGFs)Is the block face ok, not warped or damaged?What is the status of the cylinder liners, measure how much they protrude from the block face. This will determine which type gasket you should be using.Is the head face pitted or warped?

Took the head off and it was OK, no warping or pitting. The liners weren't level and three of them were level with the block so the MLS wouldn't have worked anyway.

Unfortunately we found that the engine block was in a sorry state. Heavily corroded. Water is leaking into the sump from somewhere lower than the head gasket. When a small amount of water was poured around the liners it would come out the sump plug so it's a significant leak. Not sure at this point but the liners could be compromised, (moved or corroded through), or possibly even an internal crack somewhere. The engine stood for years without any coolant in it, clearly there wasn't enough corrosion inhibitor remaining to prevent it.

We've taken the engine and box out completely and I will buy either a new block or a complete new engine as I don't have the time or expertise to refurbish it myself.

I'm tempted to have a go at re-sealing if it's straight forward and not too costly. I removed the sump and oil ladder, I can see the bottom of the pistons and liners. Is it possible to push the liners up, seal them from the bottom using Hylomar and then push them back down and clamp them from the top in order to seal them, or is it easier to remove the crank, pistons, liners and re-fit. If the liners rotate slightly during any kind of refit could that cause issues?

Don't really want to replace the liners, pistons etc. it's cheaper to buy a new engine + box + ancillaries on eBay... but of course a second hand engine could have issues of it's own.

Now you have sump off can you experiment to tell where the leak is exactly?

No experience with stripping blocks, only what i've read but I think you need to pull the liners out altogether to clean off the old sealer, I read you can leave the pistons in the liners to save trouble of reinserting pistons/mixing up orientation position etc. (dunno how this is done)

You can also get shims to lift the liners up and/or make them all same height.

Assuming the bits you have are basically sound, I guess it would only cost price of sealant (blue hylomar?) and maybe shims in terms of £££. Maybe worth getting a quote from a K specialist or two to see what it would cost to have em done if you present em with just the block?

_________________2000 GTM Libra 1.8VVC 145BHP

Fri Aug 16, 2019 4:57 pm

tonygerrard(1049)

Part built GTM

Joined: Thu Nov 22, 2007 10:31 amPosts: 113

Re: 1.8 vvc timing

Update on progress.

The engine has been removed, split into three parts and the liners have been removed with the pistons still inside. I'm waiting on a set of bearings before re-assembly.

I cleaned the rust from tops of the liners by soaking them over night in some citric acid. The buik of the rust has gone, they are a little pitted but serviceable. There was a small amount of rusty debris inside the liners, so I've wiped them down best I can, moved the pistons up and down a few times to push the crud out and then cleaned again before wiping a little oil around the interior to stop any further oxidation.

I'll install two pistons and liners with Hylomar blue sealant, put the oil rail back on so I can clamp them in place, rotate the crank ready to do the second pair, and then leave it over night to cure... then I'll have to remove the oil rail and clamps and do the second pair. I'll then stand the engine upright and pour a little water around them to see if anything drips through...

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